Quidditch Try-Outs [One-Shot]

Lilith stood with her arms crossed her chest and a school broom settled on the ground next to her leg. Her cloak whipped around her in the slight wind as a line of Gryffindor's of all years stood on the Quidditch Pitch. Mostly all of them had their own brooms, even if they were the cheapest models. Only one other person was using a school broom like Lilith. Lilith looked down at her broom in distaste.

At her father's house, she used to have a Cleansweep 11. It was slightly new, clean, and went fast. Lilith had happier memories when she was little and her father would chase her around in the yard as she was on the broomstick going two miles an hour. Lilith regretted that escaping from her father's house with the broom. Then she could have flown to Diagon Alley and gotten her broom back. Alas, then she would also have problems with the Ministry as flying a broom over Ireland and England could be considered a no-no.

"Now, we are looking for one Chaser to replace Leanna, as she is graduating next year. So everyone who is not trying out for a Chaser position, please leave."

About half of the kids left, including some burly guys who were probably going to try out for Chaser and the only other girl with a school broom. People grumbled angrily as they left with their heads down.

Sucks for them, Lilith thought before turning back to where the other Chasers were already standing about.

"Now, all Chasers get up in the air. We're going to throw the Quaffle up to you and your goal is to get it into one of the hoops while the Keeper is guarding it. Play fair; you know the rules. You get three chances." The Chaser blew her whistle. "First up! State your name and year please!"

Lilith was one of the last to go, milling about at the end of the line. There were five Chasers trying out before her, making her lucky number six. When it was finally her turn, Lilith said in monotone, "Lilith Westlocke, second year."

"Another second year! Good luck, Lilith," the captain said, signaling that Lilith was clear to get into the air.

She mounted her broom and pushed off the ground, angling her broom upwards so she flew into the sky. The Keeper was already up there, situated in front of the hoops, watching her every move. Lilith's toes tingled with nerves and she had to resist the urge to wolfishly grin. Chaser is wonderful, but with this much aggressiveness, Lilith wouldn't have minded being a Beater.

The Quaffle was thrown up into the air without warning far to Lilith's left. Her body caught it before she did and her mind barely processed the fact that her broom handle turned swiftly for the right. The Quaffle was beginning to fall and Lilith shot downwards in a race to catch it. The wind whipped her hair and clawed at her cloak. If there was one thing Lilith was good at, it was going fast. She loved the feeling as instead of the wind pushing her around, she became apart of it and could move quickly and gracefully thought like a fish going with the current. She got ahead of it slightly, falling side by side with it. Turning her handle sharply, Lilith collided with it and tucked it under her right arm like she saw American football players do before, steering her broom with her left.

She arced back up, swooping around the pitch as she looked for her chance. Lilith was only ever patient when she was on the pitch with the Quaffle in her arms. She knew that when she had control of it, it would be awfully hard for anyone else to take it away. Lilith had a grip like a wolverine that turned her knuckles white, but she didn't notice as she found her chance.

Skimming the invisible Keeper line to the box, the wind rippled with Lilith as she did an overhead toss over the Keeper's head and into the right hoop. It was a dangerous risk on Lilith's part as she didn't have the best accuracy in the first place, so doing such an unpredictable shot could have gone wrong for her, but her instincts turned out to be correct. Turning her broom, she flew back to her original starting position.

Lilith was barely situated again when the next Quaffle popped up, this time directly over Lilith's head, high in the air. Whoever was throwing sure had an arm. Tipping herself backward so she was parallel to the ground, Lilith shot up into the sky like a Muggle rocket. The Quaffle reached its peak before falling right down and Lilith was lucky it didn't hit her in the face. She reached out with both hands to grab it, beginning her decent backward through the sky and towards the ground. Lilith quickly put a grip on her broom, holding her Quaffle with her right as she began to shot down. A lightbulb went off in her head.

Pretending like she was falling out of control, Lilith spun, loving the feeling of her stomach hitting the back of her throat. When she estimated to be at level with the hoop, Lilith abruptly stopped her free fall and while she was in a spin, tossed the Quaffle around her back and into the left hoop. It hit the top of the hoop, only the Keeper's own end of broom when he went to catch it accidentally bumping it in. Lilith resisted the urge to pump her fist in the air but allowed a wolfish grin to take over her features for a mere second.

Taking her place again, Lilith readied herself. Her veins were buzzing with adrenaline and Lilith could hear her heartbeat in her ears. She tried to settle her nerves. She needed to be focused. This was her last chance to impress. Only one other person got two hoops in, a sixth year, so Lilith needed this extra hoop.

The Quaffle was in the air, right next to the Keeper's box. Lilith is going to have to make a really sharp turn if she wants to make that. Instead of going straight at it, Lilith swooped to the side and abruptly turned the head of her broom, going at an angle towards the ground. Bumping the Quaffle with the front of her broom, it went right into the nook of her right arm as she flipped in the air and started at a lightning fast speed towards the Keeper.

She zig-zagged, wasting time to try and put together a plan. Plan after plan seemed to fail in her mind and she refused to repeat the same moves again. The Keeper was bobbing between the hoops, constantly in between her and her goals. She sped up, knowing it will take some skills to avoid hitting the Keeper at the speed she was going at now. Lilith faked to the right and then to the left, swinging the Quaffle over her shoulder in a wide, powerful stroke, aiming for the middle hoop. It was show-offish doing such in a tight situation, but Lilith was in Gryffindor for a reason.

A ding filled the air as the Quaffle bounced off the inner ring of the hoop, grazing the other side and coming out on the same side Lilith was on.

She missed.

Lilith wanted to pound on her broomstick. It was in! It was in. It just popped right back out. Looks like she was tied with the older Chaser. There was no way she could make the team now when she was a lot less strong than the older student. Maybe her speed will make up for it.

When Lilith's feet touched the ground, she swore the other Chasers looked somewhat disappointed but blamed it on the light. "Well," the captain said. "That is all for try-outs. The results should be posted later tonight in the Gryffindor Common Room. You all did good. If you don't make the Team, there is always next year. Keep practicing."